1971 Topps Football Game Inserts

In 1971 Topps inserted game cards into the regular Football wax packs much like they did in 1968 with Baseball. This 53 card set looks a bit more game like than the baseball. Like the baseball game each player card has a play result on it # Yards Gain, # Yards Lost, Fumble, Interception etc. The player's picture is a bust headshot or action bust headshot which is flip/flopped like regular playing card Royal "face" cards.The players name and his team are printed on a diagonal banner. The card number appears in the right corner on the "top" some cards have the card number plus "of 53 cards" (the Joe Namath card does that).

There is an unnumbered "Field Position" marker that is rarer than the other cards in the set because it was designed to be cut in half to be used for the game. One half to mark where the ball is and the other to see if a play made a first down.

The cards were used in conjunction with the series of mini-poster inserts released that year that had a player picture on the front and a "field" on the back. I had quite a few of these mini-posters as a kid, and I think a few of the cards (never had the field position marker card until I bought it on Ebay or maybe it was Sportlots) not sure where they all went.

Don't Toss That Junk

Got cards from the dreaded junk years (mid to late 1980s to late 1990s)? Never dump them in the trash, put them in the recycling bin first. Better yet send them to me. Believe it or not I still need to complete most of the flagship Topps, Donruss and Fleer sets from those years, as well as many vintage years. For a life-long collector I have very few full sets. As a kid I could never afford them and as an adult I don't see when they are affordable to me.